Derivation of Darkness
by JustMe-Liz
Summary: Follows Arrows and Silk. Back in the Enchanted Forest – this time with Emma and Henry by their side – Regina, Rumpelstiltskin and the Charming family find themselves up against the greatest danger they have ever faced. Established OutlawQueen, Rumbelle, Snowing and Captain Swan.
1. Chapter 1

When I started writing Beat of a Heart, I had a 'trilogy' of sorts planned… I had given up on the final instalment because it is SO different from where Once went, but it has some similarities… But on an impulse, I decided to continue it. This starts off where Arrows and Silk ended… If you've not read Beat of a Heart or Arrows and Silk, here is the low-down:

Regina and Robin met, fell in love and got married. Zelena cast a curse and they ended up back in Storybrooke. When they were victorious over Zelena, they were all sent back to the EF where Charming & Snow decided that Regina would rule (making Robin a king). Oh, and Robin and Regina have a daughter – Sarah.

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine.**

CHAPTER 1

It was hers once more. Regina stared out at the vast lands in front of her where she stood on the balcony of the castle, breathing it all in. This time, it held more meaning and she released a sigh. It had surprised her when Snow and Charming refrained from stepping up as King and Queen, Snow's reasoning being that the true Queen was still alive. Regina could not stop the gentle smile from forming on her lips. It was funny how her moniker had changed from _Evil_ to _True._

"You are brooding, my love."

The accented voice behind her caused her to turn and her heart skipped a beat when she caught sight of her husband. Somehow, he still managed to take her breath away and she leaned into his gentle kiss with an adoring smile. They had been through so much together and here they stood – stronger than ever. She tugged at his scarf with a smile.

"You're wearing your forest clothes again, I see."

Robin grinned uncomfortably.

"Yes, well… Even though I married a Queen, deep down I still am a thief."

Regina smiled radiantly and she pulled his face down to hers, lips brushing against each other tenderly.

"Perhaps. But you are my thief."

Robin smiled against her lips and wrapped his arms around her waist. She breathed out a sigh and ran her hands through his short hair.

"Where is everybody?"

His lips trailed a path up her neck in a most distracting way and she gripped his arms to keep her balanced, a soft moan escaping her lips.

"Robin…"

Her voice sounded like a groan and a purr at once and he pulled away with the cheeky grin she loved so much.

"Henry and Roland are with David and Killian – apparently training. Snow and Emma took young Daniel and Sarah for a walk. So we… have the entire castle to ourselves."

Regina looked at her husband through heavy-lidded eyes, her breath racing.

"What do you propose we do with all this… privacy… my King?"

He laughed at the title and bent his head down to capture her lips once more, pushing her elaborate coat off her shoulders. Regina wrapped her leather clad legs around his waist and gripped him tightly as he pressed her back against the wall, his tongue lapping at her skin. He pulled his head away slightly while his hands ran up and down her thighs.

"I can think of a few things, my Queen."

She grabbed onto his face and pulled him in for another kiss, moaning as he slipped his tongue past her lips.

"Robin…"

The moan that escaped her set his body on fire and he pulled her even closer, allowing himself to drown in her. An awkward cough behind them alerted them to someone else's presence and Robin dropped her to the floor quickly, his hands around her waist keeping her from losing her balance. Robin looked at the man who was kneeling down in front of them with a small frown, his eyes widening at once.

"Little John! What are you doing, stand up!"

The other man stood with a laugh and enveloped Robin in a hug before lifting Regina off her feet.

"Sorry to barge in on you, King Robin. I didn't know you were… busy."

Robin shook his head with a laugh, tugging his wife towards him when her feet touched the ground again. In his happiness to see his friend, he missed the tell-tale signs of worry on Little John's face – the smile that didn't reach his eyes, the slight twitching of his jaw and the nervous licking of his lips. Regina, however, noticed and the happiness at seeing Little John evaded instantly.

"John… are you here as our friend or our sheriff?"

Robin must have heard the slight note of anxiety in his wife's voice, for he glanced at her before looking back to his friend – sure enough, the answer was clear on John's face – and Regina bent down to pick the coat Robin had pushed off her shoulders up from the ground. She sighed before throwing it over her shoulders once more.

"Perhaps this is a discussion better had inside. I'll send a servant to find the rest of the council."

She walked off without another word, leaving the two men outside. John rubbed a hand against his head awkwardly as he looked down at his friend. In his forest clothes, Robin looked a lot like he had when Little John had first met him and the bigger man laughed, causing Robin to look at him curiously.

"Sorry. It's just… in the forest clothes… you look more like a thief than a king."

"Sometimes I feel more like a thief than a king… and look at you – Sheriff John."

Little John shook his head with an air of disbelief apparent in him.

"Yes, I can hardly believe how much things have changed. You've gone from robbing kingdoms to ruling one."

Robin let out a short laugh as he led his friend inside, shaking his head lightly.

"It's pretty much Regina who rules… But even David and Snow have to admit that the kingdom flourishes under my wife's rule."

Little John nodded quickly and Robin narrowed his eyes to look at his friend.

"Not that I am not happy to see you, my friend… but should we be worried?"

John nodded curtly.

"Yes. There have been… disturbances. I'm out of my wits, Robin."

They entered the council room heavily and Robin immediately took his customary seat next to Regina.

It was not long before Snow, Emma, Hook and David arrived. After ensuring that the young royals were safe with one of the guards they sat down and all eyes turned to John expectantly.

"I… there have been several uprisings and unrest in the villages. It seems as though…"

He took a deep breath, his eyes finding Regina's.

"The villagers claim to perceive a threat of magic. Dark magic. I'm sorry, your majesty… I don't mean to sound like anyone is doubting you, I just come to you with this because I believe we need your help. To identify this… threat."

Regina groaned dramatically, a smirk forming around her red lips.

"Well the last time we had an evil sorceress to defeat, she was related to me. Let's hope my mother did not have another secret child."

Although her cold voice was enough to convince the entire table that she did not perceive any threat to be a true danger, Robin sensed a hesitance and he moved his hand to grip hers underneath the table. Before anyone else could get a chance to speak, however, the doors of the council room flew open and a fluttering sound reached their ears before they spotted the speck of blue appearing on the table.

The fairy flew around hysterically before finally stopping to face Snow – pointedly ignoring Regina, as she has been doing ever since their return to the Enchanted Forest. She had not made a secret of her disdain for the Queen – or her complete disregard of Snow and Charming's decision to give the rule over to her – and Regina simply huffed out a breath and folded her arms, dark eyes scanning the fairy silently.

"It's gone! It's been stolen, someone took the wand…"

A silence fell around the table and Snow frowned, clearly not comprehending the extent of Blue's words. It was Regina who understood the gravity of the situation first and she jumped to her feet, clearly upset.

"You don't mean… the Black fairy's wand? Is it just me or should you really sharpen up your security around that thing? It's not the first time it's been stolen."

Not bothered by Regina's sass, Blue continued her appeal to Snow.

"In the wrong hands, that wand is deadly, your majesty."

Snow shot a nervous glance in Regina's direction before trying to smile comfortingly.

"We'll find whoever has it, Blue."

Blue looked back at Snow, worry clearly etched on her face.

"I hope by the time you do… that it is not too late. The damage that can be done with that wand is incomprehensible."

As she left, however, it was clear that the extent of the damage the dark wand could do in the wrong hands was not incomprehensible to all around the table. For the first time since anyone around the table could remember, Regina looked truly worried. More than worried – the Queen looked frightened beyond belief.


	2. Chapter 2

**So… I'm back. I know I haven't updated in forever, life has just been incredibly hectic these last few months. I give you chapter 2 – a complete filler chapter, but things start picking up from here. It's almost holiday so hopefully then I will have more time to write. As always, thank you for the lovely reviews, follows and favourites. **

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Oh… and I took A LOT of liberties and will continue to take a LOT of liberties with Once, a few other fairytales, mythology and folklore. So while no one in this fic belongs to me, I took them out to play with them. ;)**

Chapter 2.

Regina stayed frozen in her seat when the meeting disbanded, unable – or perhaps unwilling – to move. Robin hovered nearby, his eyes glued to his wife's frightened face and Snow looked around subtly.

"Charming, Killian… why don't the two of you keep the children busy for a minute?"

Charming nodded at once and the two men left quickly, calling the children as they left. Regina only looked up when she registered Roland's laughter and Sarah's loud squeal of joy and she gripped Robin's hand tightly.

"This is not good. Surely you realise that?"

Emma folded her arms over her chest in a nervous gesture.

"So… Blue said the wand was deadly in the wrong hands?"

Regina nodded curtly.

"It was created by the darkest magic known to mankind… No one is even sure who the creator is, what the origin of the wand is but… only the strongest of all dark magic practitioners would go near it. It was safe with the fairies, they'd never be tempted to use it."

"Why not?"

Regina shrugged lightly, seemingly calming down when Robin entwined his fingers with hers.

"Anyone who is not truly dark… dark enough to handle the wand… will die if they even attempt to use it. Not a sacrifice the fairies would willingly make. They despise dark magic in all its forms."

Emma lifted her chin bravely.

"So… you and I have light magic, so does Blue. We fight whoever this is."

Regina shook her head tiredly.

"It's not that easy, Emma. We don't know who this is, we don't know where they are or what the plan is… We don't know anything and that puts us in a very dangerous position. It means whoever this is can take us by surprise."

Snow smiled and her eyes lit up.

"Regina… whoever this is lost the element of surprise. We know someone took the wand, so we can start preparing. And they most probably don't realize we know yet. We have time. Besides, you know by now… good always wins."

Regina's smile was tight and not at all convincing, but she nodded quickly and looked at Emma.

"I guess this means we need to sharpen up our light magic skills."

Emma flexed her fingers with a wide grin.

"If it means we're going to take down someone who is threatening our family… I'll be glad to suffer under your tutelage again."

Snow laughed gently and Regina leaned back in her chair, sighing when she felt Robin's hand softly caressing her neck. Despite the optimism around the table, she could not get rid of the nagging fear gnawing at her. However… she was not going into any battles alone. She was going in with her family and perhaps there was something to be said for Snow's optimism.

Perhaps good would win.

They knew.

Where she stood at the edge of the forest, black eyes scrutinising the castle, fury built up in the woman holding onto the Black Fairy's wand. They weren't supposed to find out this soon, it was not supposed to happen like this. She needed time to perfect her plan and she would not be able to do that with the blasted Queen breathing down her neck.

She had not counted on the annoying blue bug to actually tell the council – she was aware of the fact that Blue despised Regina and she had counted on that to keep her taking the wand quiet. Of course this meant she had to make another plan. It was vital that she kept the element of surprise and with a swirl of the wand she melted into her surroundings – able to walk the borders of the castle undetected.

As luck would have it, she spotted them just as she was about to give up – the young princes and their little princess sister outside in the courtyard – attended only by the handless pirate and the boyish prince. It was almost too good to be true and her eyes ran over them excitedly.

Henry – the oldest was too old to be of any real value for her. He would not be as easy to manipulate, he would not replace-

She stopped her thoughts from going in that awful direction and allowed her eyes to glide over the youngest two – Daniel and Sarah. Whereas Henry was too old to use, these two were barely able to walk on their own. They wouldn't help either, but the final boy…

She looked gleefully at the bright smile and mop of black curls and nodded slowly, letting long black nails travel over the wand in her hands.

Roland would do perfectly.

With no magic users around to contend, it was almost too easy and within a second all the figures in the courtyard were frozen. The dark sorceress basked in the fear visible in their eyes as she slowly moved out of the shadows to approach the group of children. Soon, her attention was focused on only one and she knelt down next to him, looking into the wide brown eyes.

"Don't be afraid of me, young one. I will not harm you."

He struggled when she pulled him into her arms, but with a single wave of her hand the freezing spell on his body was reactivated and he stilled against her, a single tear freezing in its run down his plump cheek. One more look at the frightened faces surrounding her then she was gone, the boy clutched tightly in her arms.

The sorceress was barely gone when chaos broke out on the courtyard – Henry, Hook and Charming all screaming, calling for guards or help at once while the little ones burst into tears. As terrified as they had been, Charming and Hook's fear multiplied when they heard the familiar click of heels behind them. As much as she had abandoned her Evil Queen title, Regina was still pretty terrifying and no one wanted to tell her that they were powerless watching Roland be taken away by a dark witch.

She noticed his absence immediately, her eyes darkening and cheeks flushing. Regina did not notice Snow, Emma and Robin appearing behind her. She did not notice the many guards appearing around them, or the fairies flying above them. She only noticed the absence of a little boy she had sworn to protect and her voice dropped a few octaves, the danger seeping through.

"Where is he? Where is Roland, where is _my son_?"

"Regina…"

Charming faltered when she turned her gaze upon him and Hook took a shaky step forward, choosing to speak to the man behind the queen. Only now did Regina notice her husband's presence and she grabbed onto his arm for dear life, letting go of her rage when she noticed the distraught expression on his face.

Robin's voice cracked when he managed to speak, tears already forming in his eyes.

"Hook? What happened here? Where is Roland?"

"There was nothing we could do, mate…"

"No…"

The king sank down to his knees with a whimper, pulling his wife down with him and Regina wrapped her arms around his neck, her chest heaving with deep breaths as she attempted to calm herself.

Henry took a reluctant step towards his mother, his eyes filled with tears.

"Mom… the witch, she appeared out of nowhere and froze all of us. We couldn't speak or move, we tried mom… and before we knew it she was gone with Roland."

Regina looked up, staring dazedly as Snow and Emma scooped Sarah and Daniel up into their arms, their eyes widened at Henry's words.

"The witch?"

Henry nodded hesitantly.

"She had to be a witch… I mean, she had magic. She told Roland… she told him not to be afraid then she just disappeared."

Regina moved to her feet quickly, a frown playing between her brows as she looked at her son.

"What did she look like, Henry? We need to figure out who this is so we can get Roland back…"

Henry nodded, desperate to help.

"She looked kind of young… Younger than Emma, but older than me. She had very long black hair and a scar on her neck… It looked like…"

"I know her."

Hook interrupted the boy and every face turned towards the pirate expectantly. He sighed deeply and wrapped his arm around Emma, smiling absently when Daniel gripped onto his thumb.

"You know her?"

Regina's voice was sharp and he nodded.

"Aye. I met her before I was a pirate, when she was the sister of a king."

Snow frowned and tilted her head.

"Which king, Killian?"

Hook sighed deeply.

"King Arthur of Camelot. Her name is Morgana."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

**Thank you for the lovely reviews, as well as the new favourites and follows… Morgana is one of my favourite characters ever so I love playing with her. Take that as a warning that I will take serious liberties with her history, life and powers. As for how sane she is… Well decide for yourself… :D **

**DISCLAIMER: Still not mine.**

The boy looked afraid where he cowered in the corner of the majestic throne room of the castle she had created in the mountains and Morgana scowled. He was not supposed to be scared, it was not supposed to happen like this. She morphed her features into a friendly smile and knelt in front of him, her eyes wide.

"Mordrid… don't be scared, sweetheart. I love you. I want to take care of you, I want to make you king…"

Perhaps the sincerity in her eyes got through to him, because a nervous smile appeared on his face and he reached out to touch her cheek.

"You're pretty."

A true smile lit up Morgana's face and she tucked a strand of raven hair behind her ear.

"Thank you, Mordrid."

He frowned slightly and tilted his head, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Why you call me Mordrid? I'm Roland."

"No."

Morgana shook her head insistently and grabbed his chin firmly.

"You're not… Those people, the people I saved you from… They are bad people, Mordrid. They made you believe that you're someone you're not… But I know the truth, I saw it… I saw through their tricks. They tried to take you from me."

"No… My mama and papa are not bad. They love me."

"_I_ am the one who loves you, Mordrid! Not them. They tricked you. That woman is _not_ your mother and you know that!"

A note of hysteria slipped into her voice as she ended her sentence, and it was the hint of doubt in Roland's eyes that brought a glimmer of sanity back and she searched his eyes, carefully screening through the memories he had tried so hard to bury.

"A _real_ mother would never forget her son. _I_ didn't forget you, I came back for you Mordrid… I saved you from them."

Her bottom lip trembled with emotion and Roland took a hesitant step forward to wrap his arms around her neck.

"Don't cry."

Morgana wiped the tears from her cheeks and a sad smile appeared on her face.

"I just… I wish you could remember that I'm your mama."

Roland bit down on his lip nervously as he looked at the pretty stranger who seemed really sad. He knew that Robin and Regina were his papa and mama, but he didn't want the kind lady to cry so he slipped his hand into hers.

"I'll try."

Morgana nodded and stood, picking him up into her arms and wrapping her arms around him protectively.

"Let's get you something to eat. I picked raspberries this morning. They're fresh and you've always loved them."

Roland pouted slightly.

"I like chocolate."

Morgana slowly let him sink to his feet and her face turned serious.

"I have no idea what chocolate is, Mordrid. But if you want chocolate… I'll get it for you."

Back at their castle, Regina dropped the stuffed toy with a frustrated groan and looked up at Robin, anger visible in every fibre of her being.

"It's not working! My locator spell has never failed before, but now… I can't find _anything_!"

She did not even notice the mirror behind her smashing with the magic that radiated from her, focusing back on the table in front of her.

Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the sides of the table, her entire body trembling.

"Regina…"

Robin approached her carefully, wrapping his arms around her tense figure.

"We will find him."

She spun round in his arms, her eyes blazing.

"_How_? How, Robin? My magic is failing me… I can't find him and… Every time you look at me, I see that you expect me to. And I know you mean it well, I know you are trying to be supportive but the only thing you are doing… is putting pressure on me. And I _cannot_ handle that right now."

Robin looked taken aback, but as much as she loved him Regina was unable to stop the words from flowing over her lips.

"I can't keep being the strong one, Robin! I can't keep saving the day, I am not a hero. I _love_ Roland, I do, but… I can't do this. I can't be sure that I'm going to be able to save him and every time I look at you, every time I see that expectation in your eyes… It just kills me."

Robin took a step away from her, accusation creeping into his eyes.

"Wait… you think… you think I'm weak?"

Regina pursed her lips and looked away, unable to face him directly and Robin gasped indignantly.

"You do think so. You blame me for Morgana taking Roland?"

Her answer was prevented by Snow entering the room with a crying Sarah against her shoulder, green eyes flashing with an unfamiliar irritation.

"Regina. Robin."

They turned to face Snow, Regina's anger fading when she saw her daughter and she reached out to take her. Her entire body froze when Sarah flinched away from her and her eyes widened.

"Sarah?"

Snow shook her head lightly and stroked over Sarah's hair, the irritation in her eyes fading.

"She had a nightmare and… when she woke up and went to look for you…"

Robin groaned softly and covered his face with his hand.

"She heard us fighting…"

Snow nodded gently and smiled at the little girl who cuddled up against her shoulder. With whispered encouragement Sarah allowed her mother to take her into his arms and with a last look at Robin, Regina left – her heels clicking against the floor with a hollow sound. Before Robin could attempt to follow her, Snow held her arm out to stop him and he froze, looking at the princess sadly.

"I don't know what to say, Snow."

"Then just listen."

He nodded and she gestured to a sofa, sitting down on it and waiting for him to join her.

"Roland being gone… it's hard on her, Robin. She feels as though she's failed – not only failed Roland, but she feels like she failed you."

Robin shook his head bitterly.

"I think I'm the one who failed. And clearly she thinks so too."

"Regina lashes out when she's afraid and she is. She's afraid that she's not going to be able to save Roland and she's afraid that… that if the worst happens, she'll lose you both."

Robin shook his head immediately.

"If anything happened to Roland… It would destroy me and I would never forgive myself. But I would never blame her. She can't lose me, Snow. I love her too much."

Snow smiled gently and squeezed his shoulder.

"Then tell her that. Don't tell her you believe in her – because then she thinks that your love for her is dependent on her success in saving the world. Regina still struggles to accept unconditional love, Robin and… she needs to know she has it."

Robin nodded slowly and a small smile formed on his face.

"How do you know these things?"

"Easy. I've known her my whole life and… well… I'm a woman. We're complicated, don't try to understand."

Robin stood and squeezed Snow's hands in a thankful gesture.

"If you'll excuse me… I need to talk to my wife."

He found her in Sarah's bedchamber, sitting next to their daughter and telling her a story with a soft voice. She froze when she became aware of his presence, but he stood in the door quietly – waiting for her to finish the story and watching as his daughter fell asleep. When she was certain that Sarah was asleep, Regina made to leave – only to be stopped by her husband grabbing her upper arm as she attempted to pass him.

"We need to talk."

His voice was low and she nodded, following him to their own room silently. The second they entered their room, Robin gathered his wife into his arms and pulled her flush against his chest – his lips gently caressing hers.

"I love you, Regina. Roland being gone is not your fault, it is not your responsibility to defeat Morgana. Especially not alone."

"Robin…"

Her voice was small, vulnerable, and he shook his head.

"No. I made you feel like it was your job to save our son, and while I do believe you can… that is not why I love you, Regina. I love you because you are smart, funny, beautiful and you make me feel more alive than I have ever felt. We'll find Roland. But we'll do it together. As a team."

Regina lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck with a sob.

"I'm scared, Robin. It scares me that she took him, it scares me that she was confident enough to let Charming and Hook see her… It scares me that I can't find Roland."

Robin buried his fingers in her hair and rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm scared too… but I don't want to fight with you. We can be scared together."

Regina nodded slightly and took a step away from him, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"I've been thinking and… there's someone who could help us…"

She didn't have to say it – the hesitance in her eyes was enough, and Robin groaned.

"Not the imp?"

Regina let out a shaky breath and nodded, turning away from Robin. Her own voice betrayed her reluctance to call him, but she was certain that they did not have a choice so she went ahead with it.

"Rumpelstiltskin… we need you."

The famous giggle rang through the room before the man became visible, and the couple turned to face the man who was lounging comfortably on their bed – looking at them with mild surprise.

"Well… what an honour to be called by the King and Queen. How may I help you… dearies?"


End file.
